It was 1997, on a Sabbath afternoon in Brisbane, Australia, when I was given an email address for a young man that lived in the United States. I had never met this person before, but I did know his father.
Back then email was still not widely used so it was exciting to be able to write and connect with people from around the world when given the chance.
That afternoon I gathered up courage and wrote an email to this young man saying “Hi”, introducing myself and mentioning that I was given his email by his father. It was very late in the evening on a Friday for him, so I did not expect to receive a response anytime soon, or any for that matter…. I mean, he didn’t even know me. Why would he reply to a stranger?
The next morning I checked my email and to my surprise…. “You’ve got mail!”
This was exciting… I had received an email from someone half way around the world!
His response was short and mainly just a quick hello but I had to write back. I was intrigued, curious and happy to have the possibility of making a new friend in a different country.
We continued to write for about three months until I made the decision to finally meet him face to face.
Looking back I realized that I had courage to write to someone I did not know. I was willing to take a step outside of my comfort zone and make a friend, which then led to something even more beautiful!
Today, Jose and I have been married for over 19 years and have two amazing boys.
Who would have thought that by hitting “send” I would find the love of my life?
Who would have thought that behind it all, God was working on uniting two people from opposite ends of the earth to form a beautiful family?
Sometimes is takes a little courage, a step outside of our comfort zone, a decision to do something, in order to experience life changing moments.
If I would have waited for Jose to send me an email first, because some people believe that the man should make the first move (he didn’t even know I existed), we wouldn’t be where we are today.
Today, do something that requires a little courage, make a new friend, get to know someone better, or tell them you like them. Don’t be afraid to take the first step.
If you wait for someone else to make the move first or if you don’t take the chance, you may miss out in something amazing that could change your life for the better.
#takeachance #email #friend #influencer #courage #fearless #dosomething #joannecortes #australia #usa #dontwait #bebold #beyou
